If It All Ended Tomorrow
by punkydiva17
Summary: Reedited. Story 7. Read and review. Lilian Garcia is a successful music star with a violent stalker coming after her. Can her bodyguard John Cena find out who it is?
1. If It All Ended Tomorrow

**Chapter One**

**If It All Ended Tomorrow**

"_Yeah, something to shout about...if you're gonna shout, do it good and loud...yeah, give em something to shout about..."_

The crowd was going crazy for Lilian Garcia's final encore; her biggest single to date, "Shout", which was climbing the charts like crazy. Not that "You Just Don't Know Me At All" didn't chart well. It had only stayed stuck at number one on the Billboard charts for two months before Mariah Carey came along with her comeback album. And to her, being knocked out of the top spot by Mariah Carey was flattering. Mariah was her idol. She'd been trying to get ahold of Mariah for a duet, but nothing was coming to fruition yet, so that was okay, she knew that eventually they'd get together and make magic.

But lately, Lilian was finding that her popularity was coming at a price. At five foot four, with long blonde hair and brown eyes with a charming smile, she was truly one of the most lovely women in the music business. With a rockish style combined with class, she was a girl emulated by millions around the world...which, Lilian was okay with. She preferred girls looked up to her than girls like the Pussycat Dolls, who she felt were crass and trampy. She had been so stressed out lately; things were happening. Bad things. Her last concert was cancelled because there was talk of a sniper waiting in the wings. They couldn't take the chance, especially with the venue having such low security.

Then the letters came. The burning letters in her dressing room, in her mailbox at home and even while she was onstage, she'd had several thrown her way.

Her dog Punky had been killed, her family was receiving phone calls, and now her team of people were trying to hook her up with a bodyguard, which was the last thing that she wanted. Even her rap star cohort, Rey Mysterio, was slightly worried about her. He was her opening act. He wanted to get his album out there more, and Lilian was happy to oblige. He was a talented individual and he was so sweet. She thought he deserved all the success that came his way. Not to mention, he was a strange one, too, something she enjoyed. Only an inch or two taller than her, he always wore a mask with lucid blue contacts, but he had a voice that told her he was a cutie. And he spoke Spanish, too.

Her last number ended and she waved to the crowd and thanked them for coming out to St. Louis and she went backstage to where her manager, Stephanie Levesque, was waiting, applauding.

"Another fantastic show, Lil," she replied.

"Thanks, Steph," she replied as somebody handed her a towel to wipe the sweat off. "Anything else happen while I was out there?"

"No, security's been scanning the perimeter, but whoever this sick fuck is isn't around tonight," Stephanie replied. "Try to relax, Lil, we'll catch him."

"He called my mom. My mom's not even listed, Steph," she replied, "I want this son of a bitch caught." Stephanie nodded sympathetically.

"Well, we did find you a bodyguard," Stephanie replied.

"The last thing I need is a bodyguard," Lilian replied. "I can imagine the headlines now 'Crazy Bodyguard Beats Hell Out of Child Fan'." Stephanie laughed and Lilian shook her head. "It's not funny!"

"Well, he'll be reporting to your hotel room tonight to keep an eye out for you, so be nice to him, okay?" Stephanie pleaded. Lilian didn't have a diva attitude, thank God, but when Lilian wanted to be, she was incredibly stubborn.

Lilian exhaled. "Okay, Stephanie, I'll be nice. I'm going to get ready to go back to the hotel. See you in a little bit, okay?" She nodded and went down the halls of the arena towards her locker room.

She changed into a pair of black jogging pants and a white T-shirt, throwing her hair in a ponytail before gathering her things and leaving the arena. The rest would be picked up by the team. She couldn't wait to get back to the hotel, where she had visions of a hot bubble bath and a good night's sleep dancing in her head. She got into her limousine and told them to take her to the Sheraton where she would be asleep within the hour...well, that's if the bodyguard didn't show up before hand. She got out of the limo, promising to tear her new bodyguard a new one if he showed up before she went to bed. She got into the elevator and made her way up to her room, before kicking off her shoes, relaxed, and closing the door behind her.

The bubble bath was fantastic, but her mind kept going back to this stalker that had been plaguing her for a few months. It had started in Raleigh, North Carolina, after a show, when a secret admirer had left her flowers. She thought it was so sweet, but she couldn't acknowledge whomever sent them to her. Then, because of her inability to name the admirer, the gifts became more twisted, and attempts on her life were threatened and made. She shuddered, remembering the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade when her A&R guy Kurt Angle (who had since quit and couldn't stop trashing her or her family and friends in the headlines) was shot in the shoulder. Everything was in disarray, and she shook her head, trying to get the images out of her mind. But she couldn't. Fame at a deadly price.

There was a knock on the door. "God damn it," Lilian murmured, realizing her bubble bath had just been ruined by the bodyguard on the other side of the door. Unplugging the tub, she got out and dried off, putting on a long blue nightgown with a matching silk robe. She went to the door as the pounding became more incessant. "Hold on!" she shouted, opening the door.

There before her stood a man standing at six foot one, with brown hair and the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever stared into. He looked too casual to be a bodyguard, dressed in a Roger Clemens New York Yankees baseball jersey and blue jeans, and he was built pretty big. She had to admit, she was a little taken aback. "You the bodyguard?" she inquired.

"Yeah. John Cena," he answered, extending his hand to her. She graciously shook it, giving him a once over, her eyes lingering on the sneakers on his feet. They were definitely unique.

"No suit?"

"Suits don't suit me," he replied, and that prompted a smirk out of Lilian.

"Come on in," she replied. She stepped aside. "I made a bed up on the couch for you in case you can't handle working with no sleep." He chuckled.

"Do I sense a little hostility?" he inquired.

"Aside from the fact that I don't want – or need – a bodyguard, yeah," Lilian answered.

"Oh, a feisty one," he taunted and she threw her glaring brown eyes his way, prompting him to laugh. "Chill, chill. Trust me, in time, you won't be seeing me as a bodyguard."

"Wow. You're arrogant," she replied, "and I'm going to bed." Before he could clarify his statement, she left him in her adjoining suite and shut the doors, leaving John to settle into the couch and watch some Late Night with David Letterman.


	2. Cruel Morning

**Chapter Two**

**Cruel Morning**

John Cena woke up on the floor between the couch and the glass coffee stand. It was incredibly uncomfortable, and his ribs hurt, and he was initially unaware of his surroundings, but then the memories all flooded back to him like a kick in the testicles. He was protecting the singer that hated him. Hell, she didn't even know him, but she hated him. He could sense those kinds of things. People had a tendency to dislike him...dislike him a lot.

He heard the door open and he sat up, hitting his shoulder on the table. "Ow!" he snapped. Lilian peered over the couch in that blue number she had answered the door in last night, a smirk on her face.

"I made the couch up for a reason."

"You made the couch to fit somebody like your PR guy," he retorted, "not a big guy like me." She laughed at him.

"I'll take you out for breakfast. Get yourself fixed up and we'll go." He watched her, mystified, as she disappeared into her room.

He had to admit that he wasn't a fan. Hip-hop was more his thing. Her opening act, Rey Mysterio, was one of his best friends and Rey was giving him a hand with his album. He had started working on it several years before, and had yet to even start recording. It was an arduous process, one that he had to admit he enjoyed learning about.

Lilian emerged minutes later, dressed in a black miniskirt and a black halter top. Her hair was back in a ponytail, and her Lilian Garcia charm was on. He could see what some people were talking about; her moods swapped quick. But he was determined to get along with her.

"So, where you from?" Lilian inquired as she laced up her shoes.

"Boston area."

"And you're in a Yankees jersey?" she inquired. "You're a Yankees fan?" She was surprised; Boston was faithful to the Red Sox.

"I'm a Roger Clemens fan," he corrected her and she laughed.

"Great cover," she replied, prompting him to laugh. She had to admit, maybe having him with her wasn't going to be such a bad thing.

"And you, Miss Garcia? A baseball fan?"

"I'm more of a basketball lover," she confessed. "But I do know how Beantown gets for the Red Sox." He laughed. She was right; when the Red Sox had won the World Series in 2004, all hell had broken loose. Lucky for him, he was down in Australia, guarding some bigwig oil tycoon. But he had caught the golden moment on the radio and had even gotten completely hammered with his client for celebration.

"Basketball, huh?" he replied. "You?"

"I absolutely love the Lakers."

Cena scoffed. "Overrated. Spurs."

"San Antonio?" she inquired. He nodded, and she laughed. "I'll have you know they got the Iceman."

"Kobe and Shaq."

"An accused rapist and a wannabe rapper? I stand corrected." Lilian flashed him the middle finger. "Well, that wasn't very ladylike."

"You'll learn a few things about me in due time," Lilian replied, standing up, "and one of the things that you'll learn is I'm no lady."

"Sounds like a challenge..."

"God, my mother was right. All men do think alike!" she threw her hands up in the air, exasperated, prompting him to laugh as they made their way out of the hotel together for breakfast.

Breakfast was fun, with John telling stories about his childhood, and Lilian talking about her travels and her record dealings. She was fascinated to hear about John's album that he was working on, and even asked if she could lay down a few vocals for him. He was genuinely touched and surprised by the idea, but was all for it. With a name like Lilian Garcia on his album, it had a tendency to get it out there a little bit more. He even managed to get her to promise to make a music video with him for the track. She even agreed to it.

Lilian was a smart woman, graduating cum laude in South Carolina, and she had the brains to do anything. But she had realized her music talents early on and realized that she wanted to direct her life in that route. It had been rough, shaky and at times downright disappointing, but she admitted she wouldn't trade the feeling of standing in front of a crowd for anything in the world.

John wasn't too bad himself. He graduated from Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts with a degree in fitness, nutrition and kinesiology to be a personal trainer. He had an impeccable wit and a sense of humor unparallel to anybody she had ever worked with. Lilian was sure studio time with him would be fun.

But the fun she had with John Cena couldn't last forever. When they arrived back at the hotel, there was a message left at the front desk for her. It was from her mother. Lilian thanked her for the message and went with John to the elevator to go to her room.

"That sick fuck probably called her again," she replied.

"When did this all start?"

"A few months ago. It started with flowers...it just got more fucked up from there." The elevator doors slid open and she walked out into the hallway and stopped dead. "John..."

He saw it too. The door to her room was wide open and he reached into the waistband of his shorts and pulled out a 9 mm. She stared at him, eyes wide. "Protection thing. Chill." He made his way towards her room, with her holding onto his arm close behind. She knew that she had locked it, and somebody had to have access to her keycard. She was terrified. He could feel her shaking against his arm.

He pulled the door open and gasped.

Her room had been ransacked. Things were strewn about everywhere, phone cords ripped out of the wall. John pulled out his cell phone and dialed the front desk. "Hello, John Cena here, Lilian Garcia's bodyguard. We have a problem with her room. Has anybody come along lately requesting access to her room? No. Well, somebody broke into her room and ransacked the place. It looks like a bomb went off in here. No, we'll be checking out, but whoever was in here caused severe damage. Any of those concerns can be taken up with Miss Garcia's crew. Thank you. Goodbye." He hung up. "Stuck up bitch." He turned to Lilian.

"You all right?"

"How...how did he get in here?" she inquired, staring down at everything. She picked up a diamond earring from the white carpet.

"I'm going to check around the room for anybody. Stay here," he replied, closing the door. "After that, I want you to see if anything's missing, gather your things and you're checking out. You can't stay here after this." She nodded and he quickly went into her room to check for any sign of whoever broke into the room. Lilian was standing, fingernails between her teeth, trembling violently. She was terrified.

John emerged and said that everything was all clear and he accompanied her into the room. She was beautiful when she was scared. Hell, she was beautiful, but luck hadn't swung his way for a long time with the ladies. And he was pretty sure a Diva like Lilian Garcia was so far out of his league that it was impossible to even hope for anything.

Lilian took a look through her things while John gathered her bags. There were a few items of lingerie and dresses – her favorite clothing – missing, but she wasn't about to say anything about that to her bodyguard. It was slightly embarrassing. As well, there were a few pieces of jewelry that was worth at least a cool million missing, which she did tell him. Everything that went missing, she had stated in interviews that she had worn in her favorite photographs.

She packed up her things as hotel staff came up to the room to survey the wreckage. They were infuriated, but John and Lilian maintained that they had come up here to find the door wide open. "Miss Garcia has been dealing with a stalker for some time now, and it's easy for him to find out where she is," John maintained. "That's why we're going to check out of this place."

"But this damage..."

"You can take it up with my manager," Lilian replied. "A check will be cut to reimburse for the damage." She slung a duffel bag over her shoulder and John grabbed a suitcase. With that, they pushed past the staff and left the hotel room.

Lilian was still shaking, and she had yet to phone her mother.


	3. Drive

**Chapter Three**

**Drive**

Lilian sat alone in the car, shivering slightly. It wasn't from the cold, although the air possessed a slight chill. It was definitely fear from what was going on. She hoped her mother was fine.

John made his way around the car and climbed into the passenger's seat. They were silent for what seemed like an eternity to Lilian, before he started the car and pulled out of the parking lot and into the road. "The next hotel we go to should be low-key," he said finally. "After all, the Hilton hotel is almost predictable for a Diva such as yourself."

Lilian almost grimaced at the word "diva". "Oh, yeah, Mr. Cena?" she quizzed. "How low-key do we go before we lose hotel security?"

"I'm your security," he informed her. "Anyway, Ms. Garcia…" He put extra emphasis on the word "Ms." "Where the hell was hotel security when this scumbag was rummaging through your things and breaking into your room?"

She pursed her lips together and crossed her arms over her chest. He had a point, but damned if she was going to admit it. "Who knows? Maybe the person works with the hotel."

"All the more reason to get you out of there, Lilian." He smirked as he watched her seething in the passengers seat. She had lost the argument and the beautiful part of it was that she had walked into it. He turned up the radio. It was one of Rey's songs. "Crossing Borders". It was his breakout single, and John had to admit it was one of his favorites. The car went silent for a long time.

Finally, Lilian couldn't handle it anymore. "John, where the hell are we going?" she demanded.

"I know a little place," he said. "It's out of the way, and it's definitely not going to be on your stalker's 'places I have to see while in Cali list.'"

This time, though, Lilian wasn't smiling. "Chill out," John told her. "It's a nice place. My parents came here when they got remarried last year. They come here all the time now. At least once a year."

"What's the place called?"

"I don't remember the name," he confessed. "But I remember how to get there. I had to take care of all the travel arrangements for them. Mom's useless with a computer." That prompted a little laughter out of Lilian, but not much for the mood to lighten. She was infuriated, her life had been intruded upon, and there was no way that she was going to get over it.

He pulled the car into the dirt parking lot in front of the hotel lobby. It was a tall building painted white with clear glass windows overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It had narrow steps leading to the front entrance and it was floor upon floor. Lilian had to admit, it was nice – and as much as she didn't want to admit it, John was right – it was a very nice place.

He wanted to put an arm around her waist and lead her up the stairs, as a gentleman, but he knew that she was definitely past something like that. So, instead, he just followed her up the stairs and into the hotel.

Two brunettes, a man and a woman, were behind the counter. "Ah, Mr. Cena, how's the parents doing?"

"Great, great," he told her. "Lilian, this is Shane and Marissa McMahon."

"Hi," Lilian replied, shaking their hands.

"I'm a huge fan of yours," Marissa admitted. "I play your stuff here all the time."

"That means a lot to hear that," Lilian replied. "Thank you."

"We need a room," John told them. "But we need to keep it on the D-L. Nobody can know she's here – seriously."

"We won't say anything, John; you know that," Shane replied. "You want the room we give your parents?"

"Nah," he replied. "That's just wrong, man." They all shared a good laugh and they handed him a room key. "Third floor, and it's the last door on your left."

"Thanks, man," John replied. He turned to Lilian. "Come on up."

"Nice meeting you, Lilian," Marissa replied. Lilian nodded in agreement and followed John up the steps.

"I have to call my mother," Lilian replied. John remained silent as they made their way up the steps and towards the room. "John?"

"I don't know what to say to that, Lil," he said. "Other than wait till we get to the room first." She nodded, feeling a slight blush crawl across her cheeks. His eyes were gorgeous, and even in his frustration and awkwardness, they still glimmered like sapphires.

The room itself was really nice. A queen sized bed, a couch, TV. It was spacious. Lilian had to admit that it was a beautiful room.

She walked into the room and directly to the phone on the table. Picking up the phone, she dialed quickly. She waited for her mother to pick up. "Mom? Mom, it's Lilian. What happened? Are you okay? Did he call you again?" She listened intently and he saw her shoulders slump, her hair cascading over her face. Her hand rested on her forehead, as she stared down at the desk.

"Mom…please…gather up Dahlia and take a flight to London. Go stay with Grandma and Grandpa. Please. I need you guys to leave. I'll be fine. Stephanie gave me a bodyguard, and he's here with me…" She exhaled. "There was a break-in at the hotel. I had to change places. I'm fine. I'm not hurt. I got back from breakfast and it happened. Please, Mom, seriously – just get Dahlia and go stay with Grandma and Grandpa. I'll call you as soon as they catch this guy. Please?" He saw her breathe a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mom. I love you. Okay. Bye."

"Everything good?" he inquired as she hung up the phone.

"No," she confessed. "He called her again. He threatened to kill Dahlia, too."

"They're going to stay at your grandparents?"

"Yeah," she shook her head. "I need a drink."

"Just relax," he assured her. "You're safe now."

"But for how long?"

For the life of him, he didn't have an answer.


	4. With You

**Chapter Four**

**With You**

That night, Lilian Garcia couldn't sleep. She was curled up in bed, under the thin baby blue blanket, tossing and turning. John was in the room adjoining hers. She wondered how he was sleeping. He was probably sleeping like a baby, she reasoned. After all, he wasn't the one who had a stalker trying to kill him and his family.

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the abyss that was the ceiling. This was the life she had chosen. The life that she had wanted since she was a teenager.

Her mother had called a few hours ago to let her know that she and Dahlia had made it to London all right and they were just getting settled in. They urged Lilian to join them when the tour was over. Lilian hoped to, but as a vacation. She was hoping that John could find this guy before anything worse happened. To her, the last few months had been incredibly brutal. The loss of Kurt Angle, followed by his publicity tour about her was hard on her. She had a hard time sleeping because of it.

She rolled onto her side and stared at the clock. It was two o'clock in the morning. She couldn't sleep and she hated it. Throwing back the blankets, she sat up and took a deep breath in the darkness.

She knew she couldn't go for a walk. If John found out she had gone out without him close by, he would freak. Lilian inadvertantly rolled her eyes at the idea. She hated the idea of having to answer to somebody. It royally pissed her off. If John wasn't so funny and so hot, she'd be inclined to hate him.

She laughed softly at her own thought.

Getting out of bed, she grabbed her baby blue silk robe to put over her nightgown and tied it up. Placing slippers on her feet, she stretched out slightly and walked over to the sliding glass door.

The air felt cool as she opened the glass. Slowly stepping out, she quietly closed the door behind her. She stared out into the night, at the empty road. Everything was a navy color, with the trees almost a black in outline. It was a beautiful image. She looked up to observe stars pasted against the velvet sky like dozens of tiny diamonds. It was a crisp autumn night, with the breeze not too cold, but not humid and muggy either.

Her eyes fell on the adjoining glass door in front of her on the balcony. The curtains were closed.

It was John's room.

Meanwhile, John Cena couldn't sleep. He was on the phone, the room illuminated dimly by a bedside lamp. He was on the phone with Stephanie, trying to gather some more informaton on Lilian's stalker. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't get a decent night's sleep until he caught Lilian's stalker.

He knew he was falling for her. A major no-no in the bodyguard business. But there was something about her that was so vibrant, and so fun.

"Steph, what's been happening?" He listened intently as she relayed the information to him. His lips pursed tightly together as he stared at the gun on his nightstand. "Do you guys have any leads?" He listened again. "Okay, Steph, just promise me you'l keep me posted. Lilian's not really sleeping and she is terrified for her mom and sister." He listened again. "Okay. Night, Steph." He hung up the phone and went to the kitchen area to grab a beer. He could feel the pressure of catching this guy catching up to him. He popped the lid open and chugged the can back, placing the empty contents on the counter.

He heard a small thump and saw a silhouette outside.

The glass door opened and Lilian wheeled around to see John walking out towards her. "What are you doing out here?" he inquired. She looked away from him and stared out into the night.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered. "I just keep thinking: what if something's happened to them? How am I going to live with myself if something happens to them and it's all my fault because we can't seem to catch this fucker?"

John approached cautiously and slipped an arm around her waist for comfort. "Hey – you said yourself, they're in London. They're safe. If you're the target, why would he run off to London. I mean, if he has all this information about you, he should know that you weren't with them."

She turned into his arms. Grabbing his other arm, she placed it around her waist. His eyebrow arched, his eyes conveying surprise. She placed her head against his chest, which was clad in an unbuttoned Red Sox jersey. It wasn't long before he felt her kisses on his chest.

He took a deep breath. "Lilian...what are you doing?"

She stared up at him, her eyes innocent, yet coy at the same time. She didn't answer; instead, she wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed him. It started out as somewhat innocent, but soon gave way to something more. John began to get into it and he slipped his arms around her tighter...

He suddenly pulled away. "Lil, we can't do this."

"Why not?" she inquired. Her tone was shaky, almost like a nervous child.

"Lilian, you're scared. I understand. But..there's no delicate way to say this, so I'm just going to come right out and say it...Lilian, you're emotional right now. You've been through a lot. I'd feel like I'd be taking advantage of you."

"Stop being such a gentleman," she purred, trying to nuzzle her head in the crook of his neck. He held onto both of her shoulders and pull her back. Her eyes began to tear.

"I thought you liked me."

"Lilian, I do like you. But this isn't a good time."

The tears flowed freely and he went to wipe them away, but she slapped his hand away, hard. He rubbed his hand and stared at her, in surprise. Her face flushed red in embarrassment and humiliation before she pushed past him and into her hotel room. The door slid shut and locked with a click. John took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

He could hear her sobs in the room.


	5. Brokenhearted

_A/N: Thanks for your patience guys. My web crashed for a couple weeks there. _

**Chapter Five**

**Brokenhearted**

Lilian didn't sleep for the rest of the night. She spent the night laying in bed, crying softly at the rejection she had received. She felt humiliated. The thought crossed her mind about how she was going to face John in the morning and she cried harder. She didn't understand what had come over her, why she had kissed John so forcefully. She was so embarassed with herself.

She thought about her family in England. She hoped the stalker wouldn't be able to find them there. She would do anything to be sure that they were safe. They had nurtured her singing talents for so long, and she wanted them to stay around long enough to see her career reach new heights. She loved being an entertainer, and she felt an even greater sense of pride to see her family in the audience as she sang every night.

Lilian thought about the entire situation. Was she being hysterical? Was John right? It almost seemed painful for him to reject her the way that he had. She didn't understand. Her mind was in a million different places at the moment. She wasn't sure what was up from down, or left from right. It was so strange. She had never felt so confused. And John seemed almost like a savior to her. But was it her hysteria-influenced mind that gave her these feelings? Or did she truly feel something for him? The thoughts alone were driving her into madness. She wondered if she was going to get out of bed today. The sun was coming up, but she didn't feel like moving. She was sure she could lie there forever. And nobody would miss her. She was alone. All she had was John, and he didn't even want her.

Just her luck.

John Cena awakened in his hotel room after a restless two-hour sleep. He had listened to Lilian cry for the better part of the night. He wanted to go to her, but he was unsure of whether or not it would be a good idea. She was in a bad way at the moment, and it would have seemed awful of him to capitalize on it in any way, shape or form. He wasn't the type of man to do that; his mother and father had raised him better. Lilian was a beautiful young woman having a traumatic time dealing with a stalker, and she was vulnerable. Her kisses had felt sweet, her lips like velvet against his skin. However, he couldn't in good conscience take advantage of her in her weakened state, and he felt horrible that he had caused her any sort of pain. He was there to protect her, not hurt her. And he had. He felt horrible.

He got out of bed and slid his jean shorts on over his navy blue boxer shorts. He needed to make sure that she was okay. He needed to explain himself. Yes, he liked her. He liked her a lot. But he couldn't take advantage of her while she was panicked and stressed and traumatized and vulnerable. It wasn't right.

Sliding on the jersey he wore last night and buttoning it up, he made his way out to the balcony to her door. He knocked.

"Go away!" he could hear her voice inside. It was weak, semi-hoarse from her night of crying.

He took a deep breath. "Come on, Lilian. Please let me talk to you."

"Just go away, John. Please." He could hear the sobs threatening to overtake her again.

"Come on, Lilian. Please."

"John, please, just leave me alone."

"No. Please, can we talk? Can't I have the chance to explain myself?"

"No! Go away!"

"Oh, my God, Lilian, you've got to be kidding me. It's cold out here, I'm in my bare feet, and I need to talk to you. Could you please unlock the door?"

"Asshole," he heard her murmur under her breath. He smiled. It felt like old times. The door unlatched and she opened it. She looked like a mess, her hair disheveled, eyes swollen. His face looked absolutely stricken.

"Oh, Lilian, I'm so sorry," he breathed. Lilian began to cry again and she made her way into his outstretched arms. She cried heavily into his chest, inhaling the scent of his jersey. He soothed her, stroking her hair. "It's okay, honey," he soothed. He gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Everything is going to be okay."

Lilian pulled back. He led her over to her bed and they sat down. "Lilian, please don't be upset about last night. I just...this is a weird situation for you, I know. I've had these situations before, and I've had women get like this with me in these situations. When everything straightens out, if you still feel the same way, I'll be here. But please, don't think it's because I don't like you. You're smart, beautiful, talented, and you have a lot going for you.

"But you also have a lot happening right now. We need to get that problem solved before I can even think of anything happening with you. Come here." He held her tightly. "I won't let anything happen to you, Lilian. Please don't hate me."

She took a deep breath. "I don't hate you, John," she answered. "I wish we had some kind of a lead."

"We might. Stephanie is checking into a few things. She's going to see if any arena cameras or anything captured somebody around who looks suspicious. We might get him, Lilian."

Lilian stared into his blue eyes and nodded. "Thank you for looking out for me, John," she replied.

He hugged her again. "Don't worry about it. It's my job. Anyway, just breathe easy, Lilian. We'll get this guy eventually."


	6. Relax

**Chapter Six**

**Relax**

Lilian spent the day in bed, while John spent the majority of his day calling everyone he could possibly think of, looking for any sort of a lead. Stephanie also promised that she was checking around for any leads, and she also promised that she would call John that night with an update on whatever it is that she found. He doubted she was going to find much, though. Whoever was behind stalking Lilian was definitely experienced with it, or so it seemed. His only hope was that they caught the guy on camera. That he hadn't banked on some sort of corner camera or something and they'd be able to catch his face. It was a stretch, but it was what he was hoping for.

He had Stephanie call box offices to see if anyone had shown up in the different areas in the last few months. Stephanie was exasperated at his request, but she took a deep breath and told him she'd do that for him. She was sure that it would take a few days though. Right now, she was relying more on cameras for anyone striking or suspicious. If they could at least get a visual, they'd know what to look for.

Lilian still wasn't making eye contact with John. He knew why. He was going out of his way to make sure that he didn't bring up the night before. He knew that it had been embarassing for her; and he felt awful. Hell, he was going out of his way not to talk to her about a lot of things from the night before backwards. He was barely talking to her; not that she was all that responsive. Her answers came out in sharp one-word answers or grunts. She still wasn't all that happy with him and he knew it. He didn't want to hurt her; it was the last thing he had wanted to do. When he had felt her lips on his chest, it had taken every ounce of moral restraint not to take her back into her hotel room and keep her wide awake until sunrise. But he knew that with her mental state in shambles as a result of this stalker, there was no way he could do anything with her in with a clear conscience. He would just feel like he was taking advantage of her, and his mother raised him way better than that.

Women did this to him all the time. It wasn't an arrogance thing; it was the truth. Things got frightening, and they jumped into his arms, looking for comfort, for solace, for any sort of protection away from their problems. Anything to forget. When he had first started, he had fallen into that trap, and had fallen in love with each and every one of those women he had protected. He had even become engaged to one, a hotel heiress named Eve Torres. But she had come to her senses when the case had closed and had called everything off, leaving him heartbroken, and devastated. His entire family had been concerned because he had fallen into depths of depression that he had never thought possible. It had taken him months to get over it. He didn't want to be used, and he certainly didn't want to use Lilian. It would just be taking advantage of her and it wasn't right. If she wanted him so bad, after they captured the guy, he'd still be waiting if she was interested. He hoped she was. She was beautiful, and he found himself more attracted to her with each passing day. But he wasn't sure if he could handle another sting of rejection. It was better for him to put the distance between himself and Lilian until they caught whoever this guy was. For his sake, and for Lilian's.

He had offered to order something in for lunch, but Lilian remained unresponsive. He would have given anything just for her to talk to him. It was killing him to have her so upset. He knew she was angry now, but when she sat down and looked back on it, he hoped that eventually she would realize that he made the right decision at the time.

He looked over to see her burrowed under the covers, watching a movie on the small TV perched on a desk nearby. The covers were up, almost over her head. The only thing he could see was a tuft of blonde hair. She had her back to him. He sighed. His cell phone rang. He made his way over to the computer desk and grabbed his cell phone from the charger. "Cena."

"Hey, John, I promised to call you with updates." Stephanie's voice cracked through. He stepped out onto the balcony. The air was crisp, the breeze was light.

"Hey, Steph. Okay, what do we got?"

"Well, we do have a figure on three tapes that we can look at. It's nothing concrete, but this guy looks like someone to watch out for."

"Description?"

"Not a very good one," she answered. "He's a big, muscular fella, though." John took a deep breath.

"Great. Just what I need."

"He looks pretty suspicious. Hat, coat. If I can pull up the names of any sort of receipts that are consistent, then I'll give you the name. But look out – this guy is crazy – and he's fucking huge!"

"Thanks, Steph. Call me back as soon as you can." She hung up and he took a deep breath and snapped the phone shut. He stuck the phone in his pocket and placed both hands on the balcony banister. He took a deep breath. Great. The motherfucker was a behemoth.

"What did Stephanie want?"

John jumped; he hadn't heard the door open. He turned slowly to see Lilian behind him, wrapped in the blanket. She looked so cute as the wind swept at her hair. He smiled softly. "We might have a bit of a lead."

Her eyes widened. "Well, that's great." She noticed the odd look on his face. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. Nothing. It's nothing concrete yet. But Stephanie noticed a familiar guy on about two tapes of your concerts. The box office lists should be there in a few days, and from there we should get a name and a better picture." She nodded.

"So why do you look so glum?" Cena smirked.

"Looks like he's a big SOB." Lilian laughed.

"You're packing. It shouldn't be a huge deal, right?" she asked. He nodded. He wished he could tell her that it wasn't as easy as just taking out his gun and capping the guy. But he didn't want to panic her.

"Yeah," he answered. "Look, let's go back and watch that movie." With a gentle hand on her spine, he led her back into the hotel room so that they could finish watching their movie together.


	7. Sweet Dreams

**Seven**

**Sweet Dreams**

John went back to his room later that night. Lilian had fallen asleep watching another movie. He had nestled her tightly under the blanket and had gone into his room. He sat down on his bed, dressed in nothing more than his boxers and leaned his head back against the headboard. She seemed a little more relaxed now that they had a visual of the guy. But he didn't have the heart to tell her that there were still rules that had to be followed. He couldn't just run around shooting at people.

Stephanie called him. So far the big muscular guy was their only lead. She found three concert dates in different states with the same name: Gene Snitsky. He nodded, running a hand over his head. "Steph, if you can get to the police station and get his picture, could you please get it over to me? I could use to know what the fuck we're up against."

"I'll get right on it, John. How's Lilian holding up?"

"She's holding up, I guess. How would you be holding up if you had some fucked up stalker after you? And now we're finding out the fucker is a behemoth. I don't know about you, but I'd be fucking panicked." He took a deep breath.

"Just take it easy, Cena. You'll be fine. Lilian will be fine. You've probably been up against this sort of thing before."

"I have, but that isn't the point," John told her.

"Calm down, John," she told him. She could sense the tension in his voice. "Just keep Lilian busy. I'll see what we can pull up and I'll get the police on it. Hopefully, they'll catch him before he figures out just where in the hell you two are."

"Here's hoping," he told her. There was a knock on his hotel room door. "Look, Steph, I've got to go. Keep me posted, okay?" He snapped his cell phone shut and went to the door. Swinging it open he found Lilian standing before him, a terrycloth robe draped over her small frame. "Lilian, are you okay?"

She marched past him into his room. He arched an eyebrow, but closed the door behind him. She made her way to his bed and tucked herself in. John held up an arm in surprise. "What -?"

"I don't feel safe in my room," she murmured, turning her back to him, "So I'm going to sleep with you." She couldn't see him, but his eyes looked up to the ceiling and he took a deep breath. It was going to be difficult to sleep with her and not do anything.

He took a deep breath. She had no idea just what in the hell she was doing to him. He took a deep breath and grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge. He needed one to calm his nerves. He had a vulnerable woman coming onto him that he was incredibly attracted to, a giant stalker looking for her, and looking for him since he was with her.

He grabbed a bottle opener from the drawer and popped the lid off. Lilian was more or less passed right out. He made his way over to the bed and climbed in beside her. He tried to keep a distance enough so that he didn't touch her as he sat against the headboard, sipping his beer. The news was on the TV, and he sat in silence under the illuminating glow of the television. Lilian's body was moving with each breath. He thought about brushing a strand of hair out of her face, but decided against it as he took a swig of beer. She was a beautiful woman, a multi-platinum artist, and here he was, laying next to her, unable to touch her. It was too much for him.

He continued to drink. It had been a long couple of weeks. It had been even longer since he had been put with Lilian. She was so receptive to him, and could change to cold at the drop of a hat. He thought about the night before, the way her head leaned against his chest, the way her lips felt on his bare chest. He took another swig of beer, hoping that the liquor would brush the thoughts out of his mind. Last night had been complicated; difficult for him, and he had hurt Lilian, which was the last thing he had ever wanted to do. He knew he was falling for her, hard. But he was so scared of something happening to her at the hands of this man. Even worse, he was scared that when they caught him, she'd stop being attracted to him. It's always the way it went. The thought was too much for him to handle.

He took another sip of beer.


End file.
